-
£1 million to extend programme tackling homophobic,
biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools, following the
successful delivery in 1,200 schools in England
-
A new £1 million fund for projects in health and social
care to make sure services are appropriate for LGBT
people
-
Today’s package is part of the £4.5 million fund
promised in the government’s LGBT Action Plan
More school children will be protected from homophobic, biphobic
and transphobic bullying following a £1 million extension to a
successful programme as part of the government’s LGBT Action
Plan, Minister for Women and Equalities said today.
The money will be used to provide training for teachers on how to
spot early signs of bullying and how to intervene appropriately.
It will also be used to provide resources to support teachers in
delivering lessons on LGBT issues to ensure all pupils feel
accepted and included.
The Government Equalities Office has already delivered the
anti-bullying programme in 1,200 schools in England – ahead of
its March deadline – and is now inviting voluntary and charitable
organisations to bid for £1 million of further grant funding to
roll out the programme in more schools.
A further £1 million will also be available for organisations to
improve LGBT people’s health and social care. The LGBT Survey
found that at least 16% of survey respondents who accessed or
tried to access healthcare services in the last year had a
negative experience because of their sexual orientation, and over
half of those surveyed who accessed or tried to access mental
health services said they had to wait too long.
Minister for Women and Equalities said:
“Everyone in this country should feel safe and happy to be who
they are, to love who they love, and to live their lives without
judgement or fear.
“That’s why this government is stepping up its work to tackle
bullying in schools, to protect more children and to stop hatred
from festering and growing in to discrimination in adulthood.
“The aim of our Action Plan is that everyone can live safe, happy
and healthy lives where they can be themselves without fear of
discrimination.”
Today, Ms Mordaunt also announced:
- A new fund of £600,000 will also be available to local
community groups, through a new LGBT Sector and Community
Development Scheme to help them engage LGBT people in their area.
Alongside this, these organisations will receive training and
development to help them grow, mature and become more sustainable
over time.
- An LGBT Advisory Panel to advise the Government on policy,
act as a sounding board, and provide evidence on the experiences
of LGBT people. Stonewall, the LGBT Consortium and the LGBT
Foundation have been appointed given their longstanding,
wide-ranging work on LGBT equality. A further nine members will
be recruited through an open process that launches this week.
The LGBT Action Plan made 75 commitments to tackle discrimination
and improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) people in the UK. It was published alongside the results
of the largest national survey of LGBT people ever undertaken.
The survey, which had over 108,000 respondents, shows LGBT people
are experiencing prejudice on a daily basis.
Notes to editors:
· The LGBT survey
was launched in July 2017.
· The LGBT
Action Plan can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-action-plan-2018-improving-the-lives-of-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-people
· The Advisory
Panel recruitment will launch this Sunday 4 November.
The grant funding will launch during the week
of Monday 5 November.
